Lies, Love and Deceit
by TheLastNumberOfPi
Summary: Anko has always been Konoha’s most faithful kunoichi. Konoha held everything, her home, her calling... her love. Then it changes. Everything changes. And Anko finds herself with a whole new path in life. AnkoxHidan. Strong language.
1. Welcome to Konoha

Hello all. This is my first story, so play nice please. ;) I'm not sure how well updates will go, but I want to give this a try. 3 My writing style probably won't wow you, but if I can get my hands on a beta reader... Well, here's to hoping.

* * *

**Lies, Love and Betrayal;**

Anko has always been Konoha's most faithful kunoichi. Konoha held everything, her home, her calling... her love. Then it changes. Everything changes. And Anko finds herself with a whole new path in life.

* * *

**Chapter 1 – Welcome, Visitor no. 3957347, to Konoha**

He was dead.

The funeral moved on. The whole village had showed up and the thousands of black clad mourners made Anko feel like screaming. The kunoichi was at the front of the crowd, thank God, but then again, she almost wished that she was right in the middle of that throng of silent people. Only the people closest to the deceased were at the front and Anko would have given anything to never have gotten close to him. Maybe then it wouldn't hurt so much.

The sky was overcast, the clouds so low and heavy that Anko felt as if she was being smothered. It was horribly clichéd that rain and darkness was at a funeral, but it was for the best. She may have started screaming if she had been faced with sunshine. The kunoichi didn't have an umbrella. It made her feel just that little bit stronger to face the elements without one; he had endured so much worse after all. And, though it felt cowardly to admit it, it was easier to deal with this horrible, _aching _loss when the heavy rain could distract her. Anko could feel the people on either side glancing at her out of the corner of their eyes. They didn't want her to see them staring, they were worried about how she would react. Anko tipped her head back and closed her eyes, letting raindrops splatter against her face. It didn't matter that they stared. Not anymore. Everyone knew that he had been her dear friend. Her confidant, her love.

Anko tilted her head forward again once she heard the Hokage, Tsunade, finish her speech. Normally this was when the body would be buried, but this was a special occasion. There was no body. A tiny tear trickled down the kunoichi's cheek, though it was lost in the rain water. He had fought the most dangerous people out there. He was the best, the greatest. Unconciously, Anko felt her hands clench into tight fists. It was so, so... _unfair. _He'd done everything to protect those close to him; he hadn't even been losing the fight. But he always gave his targets that one chance. That one chance to drop their weapons and repent their crimes. And someone had used it to blow them both up. Another tear trickled after the first. There had been no way that he could have known. It was no jutsu, nothing that he could have picked up on. His victim had just had plain, old fashioned explosives strapped to his chest and it turned out that he wasn't afraid to die if it meant that his captor did too.

The atmosphere was stifling. She was usually loud and brash. Everyone knew she had a temper, sure. But she had been _fun. _More importantly she'd been able to have fun. But... she didn't think she could anymore. The day he died, a significant part of her had just vanished. Anko had never felt so helpless, and one of her many flaws was that the more useless she felt, the angrier she got. If he, one of the best shinobi in the village, could be killed; what chance did she have? It was enough to make her sick. After years and years of brutal training, there was still only one lesson that she could learn from this senseless, violent, death. She still wasn't strong enough.

Once his name had been carved onto the memorial plaque, the black-clad crowd filed away, though the heavy oppressive silence didn't leave with them. Anko was finally left alone. She was surprised; she had expected Naruto and Sakura to be there for hours, maybe Sai as well, since he was on their team now. Rich, brown eyes scanned the cemetery, and Anko blinked when they met a pair of startling blue ones. "What do you want Naruto?" The kunoichi was startled by how angry she sounded. It wasn't the idiot blonde's fault, though she wished it was, just so she could hurt something. "Anko-san, it's your turn to say goodbye." With surprising sobriety considering his usual hyperactive disposition, Naruto disappeared, and Anko was left alone for real this time. The kunoichi, spiky dark purple hair flattened by the heavy rain, knelt by the new headstone, one of many in this cemetery.

_Goodbye. Kakashi._

* * *

It was a bright sunny day. Anko hated it. How dare the sun shine when Kakashi was dead? If the world was fair the sun should have set forever when he did. But if there was one thing that Anko had learnt it was that life wasn't fair. The universe didn't care if a shinobi had died, even if it was the kindest, funniest, most amazing person in the world. It didn't care if a legion of shinobi died and it certainly wouldn't care if she died. With a sigh Anko leant back against the Second's forehead. Her unbuttoned tan trench coat revealed an outfit composed of mainly fishnets, with an orange skirt. Anko crossed her hands behind her head and closed her eyes, despite herself liking the warmth on her face. Soft purple spikes of hair were ruffled by a gentle breeze and an unsuspecting tourist may have though she was just another happy woman, enjoying the fine day. They would have been wrong. Where Anko's heart had been there was now a raging black hole of hurt and confined fury. Anko just wished there was a way to release it. Maybe she could go train some more? But the thought of training without _him _was a little painful, even though she hadn't sparred with Kakashi all that often before. She wished she had.

"Anko." The purple haired nin sat bolt upright, instantly hopping onto her feet and swinging into a defensive position. In reality, she was hoping that it was a threat, something she could beat to a bloody pulp. Her chest felt tight with her pent up rage and hurt. So, it was with a reasonable amount of disappointment that she saw the old man opposite her. "Danzō-sama." Anko gave him a nod, though her features were cold. She had never liked that old man, the head of the Root division, though personal feelings were never a good enough reason to attack an elder. Unfortunately. The kunoichi sighed, "What do you want, Danzō-sama. I'm busy." This was a blatant lie and from the way his thin lips curled at the corners, Danzō knew it. Anko glared at him as respectfully as she could, and to her disgust his smile spread a little further. What the hell was that bastard up to? The bandaged elder turned on his heel suddenly. "Come for a walk with me Anko. We have much to discuss."

* * *

Anko did not trust Danzō. Anko did not like Danzō. But there was no two ways about it. He was an important person to the village, many more times than Anko was. As head of the Root division he trained some of the toughest shinobi in the village, and despite his obvious hatred for the methods of the Hokage, he would defend the Great Tree of Konoha with his life. Unfortunately, that was where the good points of his personality ran dry. Anko knew that he was as twisted as a corkscrew and she didn't want anything to do with him. But goddamn it, he knew how to make an enticing  
offer.

"Anko. I know you want to be stronger, don't even bother lying. Everyone has noticed the... deterioration in your behaviour."

"I don't know what you're talking about Danzō-sama."

"I can make you strong."

The statement was simple, almost quiet and utterly detached. As if the slime didn't realise that he'd promised the one thing that Anko wanted more than anything else. The kunoichi's head whipped around, chocolate eyes wide, before they narrowed to slits. Anko had dealt with snakes before, Orochimaru was her old teacher after all, and she could recognise a hard hearted bastard a mile off. Danzō was up to something, and the most infuriating thing was that he wasn't even trying to hide it! He was so confident that she wanted this more than anything else, that he didn't bother using a poker face. Anko scowled at him. "What's the catch?" The kunoichi felt her lip curl, showing a glimpse of white teeth. She could feel the fury building up in her stomach, writhing like a serpent longing to sink it's fangs into something. Tanned hands clenched into fists. Something, anything. Danzō gave her a look. "No 'catch'. Root has developed a way... Hmm, this conversation is not really appropriate for above ground, but Konoha needs a weapon. And the Root can make you the best one for the job."

"Why me?" A snarl was building up in Anko's throat, though she slammed down on the urge to break things. This was important. This was her chance to get stronger. The best, Danzō said? Good, because that was all Anko would accept. She had to become the best, for _him, _for she wasn't a fool. Danzō had offered her her dream, but she wouldn't trust him. Though it pained her, Anko forced the words out of her throat. "Why not a Hyuuga or an Aburame? Their bloodline limit would give them more potential as a weapon." There was a moments silence as Danzō assessed her. "The technique does not work on someone with a bloodline limit."

A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "And the only other shinobi that fits that requirement and is stronger than you, or not needed in various other departments, is... unavailable."

When she heard this, Anko froze before a real snarl rumbled from her throat. It hurt! Her heart wouldn't stop breaking. "...Kakashi."

"Yes, he would have been perfect. He had a bloodline limit without his genes getting in the way."

Danzō shrugged. "But you'll do. Your snake jutsus have potential."

Anko choked back a sob at the way that the tragedy of Kakashi's death was just an _inconvenience. _Then she was shocked. Both at her violent mood-swings and by how much it hurt to just think his name. She would never have gotten close to him if she'd known that it would feel like her heart had been ripped out when he had to leave her behind. With a vicious snarl, Anko turned on Danzō, her eyes burning as she looked down at the shorter man. She growled, "If you're tricking me, you're dead. But I'll do it."

"Good."

* * *

_SHIT!  
_

Danzō had neglected to mention that this would fucking _hurt! _Anko had been apprehensive when Danzō had taken her down to the Root Division and stopped outside a door with about ten Root ANBU shinobi on guard, but she'd waved aside the niggling fear as they walked inside. ...Only to have it flare up exponentially when she'd seen the contraption she was supposed to strap herself into. At the time she had whirled around and said with a tight voice. "Alright, I'm down here, and I swear to whatever sick thing you worship that I'll walk right back out if you don't tell me exactly what's going to happen."

The bastard in question had given her that irritating one eyed squint and said calmly, "Nothing to be alarmed over. This will simply re-forge some of your DNA." He must have seen the sudden panicky look in Anko's eyes because he flapped a hand at her in annoyance, as if she was some foolish child.

"Don't be stupid. You'll still be Anko, your memories and you will still be intact. This will simply increase your chakra reserves, your strength and your speed. The worst that you can expect may be losing a tattoo or two as some of your skin cells regenerate and the benefits will outweigh that minor cost. You can always get the ANBU tattoo redone."

Anko had considered this with narrowed eyes. "What are they for?" She had jerked her head at the ten waiting shinobi. Danzō had shrugged. "The machine uses a lot of chakra. They will help supply it." So, Anko had agreed.

And now she was in agony.

* * *

_Three days passed. They blurred and shifted and dragged on, thanks to the burning pain. A day seemed like months. Half a week seemed like years. But it passed. And I had changed._

Anko's eyes snapped open. After a moments silence she gritted her teeth and snarled. "Danzō, get these fucking wires off me." There was a moments surprise for she rarely let language like that slip in front of an elder, but she felt... strange. Anko closed her eyes again, breathing deeply in an effort to control this weird, shattering rage. She said tightly. "_Now." _After a second, apparently reacting to a signal, a pair of slender, warm hands delicately started plucking needles out of Anko's arms and legs. When they had backed off Anko swung her legs around and sat on the edge of the bed. Massaging her temples wearily she snapped, "How long was I out?"

"Three days." Danzō didn't appear overly concerned about this, and despite herself Anko was relieved. It explained her bad mood anyway; she was always crabby when she was hungry. The kunoichi patted her spiky hair, running her fingers through it until the dark purple locks returned to normal. They'd been flattened over the three days. Anko glared at one of the generic ANBU masks and she was surprised when he leaned back a little, before catching himself and standing straight again. Anko gave Danzō a look of deep suspicion before returning her attention to the unfortunate shinobi. "I need something to eat. I'd like some dango." The masked man turned to Danzō, who gave him a curt nod. That apparently was acceptable. The Bastard Danzō, as he was now known to Anko, enquired with false courtesy, "Any particular preferences?"

Anko didn't even have to think about it. "Red bean." She gave Danzō an odd look. All of Konoha knew that she was rarely without red bean paste dango, what was so distracting that he'd forgotten this? After a moment Anko looked cautiously around and realised that she was being studied intently by the nine remaining masked figures. "Danzō, a mirror please."

"I recommend having something to eat first." The Bastard's face was as impassive as it always was, but Anko thought she detected a flicker of _something_ in his eyes. She pushed herself off the bed, intending to stand up, but for some reason she felt herself flying forwards and crashing to the ground. Quietly and calmly, Anko panicked. Agility and co-ordination had been her strengths since he was a lowly genin, that shouldn't have happened. She pushed herself up from the ground, much more slowly and carefully than she usually would, and stood cautiously. Anko finally growled. "What the fuck have you done to me?"

Danzō sighed. "Anko, please be sensible. Your appearance is a little... altered, though it's nothing that'll do you any physical harm. The loss of co-ordination is because you aren't used to your new capacities and strength. You need to eat before you can think clearly."

Though his tone was perfectly civil, as usual, Anko got the impression that he was getting a little annoyed with her. The kunoichi sat on the edge of the bed. "Fine."

* * *

_I wipe my mouth, having finished my first meal in three days. Carefully I accept a mirror that is now held out to me and to my horror a red eyed creature with cement grey skin stares back. My fist clenches and the mirror shatters._

* * *

Anko had been resting up for three days now. The truth was she'd felt fine after a day, but she didn't want to go out. The only person who had visited her was the Hokage, Tsunade-sama. It turned out she had no idea about Danzō's plan. The fact that he was going to get hell for this made Anko pretty happy, though it hadn't cured her dilemma. Tsunade had recoiled at the sight of her...

Angrily Anko sat in an armchair. She was brooding she knew it, blood red eyes set in a deep scowl, and in truth the kunoichi found herself a little scared by how _furious _she got. She was afraid. It would seem that Danzō's machine had changed her in more ways than the purely physical. Sighing Anko ruffled her hair absentmindedly. There was really no point just sitting around doing nothing though. The sudden change in her body had rendered her practically useless, even if she was faster and stronger. She would go to pick up a glass and it would shatter. She would jog to the door and crash because she suddenly went faster than she expected. Anko was _not _looking forward to her first training session. But Anko was, generally, a person who _hated_ being cooped up in the house, even if it was of her own violation. It was time to get moving, though it might take her months to get coordinated again. Anko pushed herself out of her armchair and promptly fell over. Growling softly to herself the kunoichi headed to the shower. She'd had enough of this.

After Anko had grabbed a couple of miscellaneous snacks out of the fridge she headed out into the gathering twilight, still not quite confident enough to appear in all her grisly gory in the daylight. If she was lucky the training grounds would be empty. To anyone watching the kunoichi would have been striding along at a reasonable pace, but Anko felt as if she was moving painfully slowly. It was disorientating seeing objects shoot past, but feel as if you were moving in slow motion. Not for the first time she cursed whatever stupidity had made her agree to Danzō schemes. Konoha's secret weapon? Well, unlikely considering she had difficultly freaking _moving._

* * *

When Anko arrived at the training grounds she was relieved to find that her hopes, for once, had been satisfied. The place was blissfully deserted. Anko looked thoughtfully at her surroundings. The main thing she needed to do now was just get used to her new abilities without killing herself. That ruled out any and all types of weapons training. Anko reluctantly unstrapped her kunai holster and made a small sound of irritation. She really was going to have to go back to freaking _genin _stuff. Anko stretched, cracking and popping a couple of joints, still trying to think of a training exercise that would get her co-ordinated without making her freak out with boredom. Wriggling her nose Anko pouted. Jogging? Just go jogging around the training pitch? Anko quickly looked around for people and, seeing no one, decided that it was as good a plan as any. After all. How hard could it be?

Anko was half way around the training field and she'd already fallen over (rather spectacularly) seven times. The jounin groaned, face first in the dirt, and banged her fist on the ground in anger. She was astonished when she left a dent in the ground. If only there was a way that she could get used to this slowly... There was a sound of deep laughter behind her and Anko shot up, twirling to face her opponent. Unfortunately she put _way _too much power into it, spinning like a top, before falling over dizzily. "Yamato, you bastard!"

"Ha! Sorry Anko. It's just funny watching you fall over."

Anko finally sat up and glared at the wood user, purple spikes in a messy disarray. The half amused, half angry expression on her face vanished when she saw the way that Yamato was looking at her. The two were best friends, they always had been. How could she have forgotten him while she made her decision? "Anko... What have they done to you?"

Self consciously Anko splayed a hand over her face. "It's... nothing." Like hell it was nothing. The kunoichi pulled her hand away, studying the dull grey skin with a regretful expression. She was aware that her eyes, once a pretty brown colour, were now dark red. She looked like a monster. "I agreed to the change, Yamato. I was simply left unaware of the side effects." The jounin studied Anko for a moment, his expression stony. "Why are you falling over? Are you sick?"

At this Anko threw her head back and started laughing, another sudden mood-swing hitting her. "Yamato! You know I don't get sick!" She pulled herself carefully to her feet. "The change just made  
me faster and stronger; it's difficult to keep up."

"..._Why_ are you changed?" Yamato frowned at her, his expression unhappy despite Anko's laughter.  
"Were you forced into something?"

Anko scowled at him. "Top secret stuff, Yamato."

"Anko."

"Tch, FINE! Don't blame me if Root hauls you off for questioning and I get strung up for treason!"

"So, Root is to blame?"

Anko sighed in defeat. Yamato was too damn smart for her to keep up with.

"You're such a loser Yamato. I agreed, 'kay? You know that bastard Danzō wouldn't have told me everything, but I agreed. I'm not unwell, but I am stronger. Ish. Appearance is a small price to pay."

It was an unusually long speech for Anko, she didn't normally like spilling her guts out to people, but Yamato was special. Yamato and Anko had been friends since the Academy days, they were tight. And now she could see that he was struggling to accept this. He had always been overprotective, he'd been the one to help when her bastard teacher, Orochimaru, put the cursed seal on her, and he's been the one to help when it came back, after years and years. He was like a brother and best friend all in one. But he seemed to realise that this was important. So he didn't interfere. "Well, I guess we need to train you up to that you stop busting your nose on the ground."

"SHUT UP!"

* * *

"Yamatoooo. I'm in paaaaain."

"Stop being a baby Anko."

"It hurts, damn you!"

"Tch, I'll treat you to some dango if you stop whining."

"OKAY!"

Damn Yamato and his stupid training techniques. Anko had to admit that they worked pretty good though. It had only been a week and already she was nearly up to her old standard. And it was so irritatingly simple! Why hadn't she been able to think of it?! And he'd gotten the idea off _Gai _of all people. Anko looked down at the weights attached to her legs and arms. The only positive she could think of was that she didn't have to wear those hideous orange legwarmers. "Yamato, I'm sick of coordination training. Can we do something else?"

They were nearly finished anyway, only a day or two more. The weight served to keep her at the speed and strength she was used to, and they slowly decreased in size every day. It just meant that she could get used to her new abilities slowly, without killing herself. She just wished it wasn't so strenuous and boring.

Yamato considered this for a moment. "I guess... Have you done much training with super strength?"

Anko puffed her cheeks out in annoyance. "Yamato, you know my chakra control isn't good enough to get me able to punch through walls like Tsunade."

That was painful to admit. Yamato shrugged. "It'd be good practise and I reckon that you could improve your physical strength a little with chakra. It'd be interesting to see how that combined with your muscular strength."

"Yeah, bloody fascinating. Do you want to see me break my hand?"

"Anko, you over exaggerate. Just punch the training dummy _carefully. _Put a little bit of chakra into your fist and hit the target on the chest."

Anko gave Yamato an incredulous look as he took the weights off her arms, though he wisely left the ones on her legs intact. Warily Anko approached the dummy, the tingling sensation in her stomach telling her that something was going to go very badly wrong here. Taking a deep breath the kunoichi focused her chakra into her right hand, a blue halo surrounding the limb. Anko examined it critically. It wasn't nearly as good a job as Sakura or Tsunade would have done. The better your chakra control, the less blue you could see since none of it was escaping as visible light. Basic physics. Shrugging Anko drew back her arm and slammed her clenched fist towards the dummy.

She should have stuck with co-ordination training. The kunoichi overshot a little, just enough to miss the dummy; not enough to miss the concrete post. There was a sickening crunch as Anko felt every bone in her hand give, though she felt a slight pang of pride at the way the concrete post crumbled. The kunoichi's grey skin bleached a sickly white.

"Yamato?"

"Anko! Are you ok?"

"I think I need to go see Tsunade."

* * *

"Anko, you are a bloody idiot."

"Sorry Tsunade-sama."

"That goddamn Danzō's technique made you stronger, not bloody indestructible!"

"I understand that Tsuna- SHIT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY HAND?!"

The Hokage glared at Anko. "Looks like you heal pretty fast now, blast it! Your bones have started to knit together, but they've set wrong. I need to re-break them."

"...Fuck."

* * *

So! That's Chapter 1! I certainly hope that there will be more. ^^ I've revised the layout problems and a couple of errors so hopefully it's less painful to read. Please review! I'm begging you. It really does inspire me to continue writing. 333 –puppy dog eyes-

xxx

Pi


	2. Like A Red Rag

Hey all! I'm back with a chapter. ^^ Hope you like. Please read and review, it does get depressing without them. ;3

* * *

**Chapter 2 – It's Like a Red Rag**

* * *

It had been two months. With Yamato's help Anko could finally walk around normally, live normally without having to worry about breaking things or falling over;  
though there was still the odd mishap. Anko rested on the great, stone forehead of the First Hokage, enjoying the sunlight on her face. It was liberating. It was  
strange how you appreciated coordination after you'd lost it. Popping the last piece of dango into her mouth, Anko lazily swivelled and threw the skewer at an  
innocent tree. It thudded into place and the kunoichi admired the, now complete, Hidden Leaf symbol. The purple haired woman laughed. It was a habit of hers  
and it was nice to know that some things never changed.

Slowly Anko's mouth twisted into a frown. No... She hadn't really changed, had she? After all she'd suffered for, all she'd achieved was a little more strength, a little  
more speed. What would that do against a Hyuuga? An Uchiha? Or even against one of the lesser bloodline limits. She didn't stand a chance against the Aburame  
bugs. Unconciously Anko ran a finger over the knuckles on her right hand, feeling the rough texture of scar tissue. She brought her hand to eye level, flexing it into  
a fist, watching the angry red mark stretch. Part of it was from her first training session after her transformation. The rest from several similar occurrences. But it  
wasn't enough. Anko massaged her temples, trying to control the familiar, trembling fury in the pit of her stomach. She still wasn't trying hard enough. The kunoichi  
took several deep breaths, trying to control herself. Bad things happened when the rage took over. A simple spar had gone horribly wrong. Her partner had nearly  
died, but Anko nearly did too. She had lost all sense of control. She'd used up all her chakra, over extended herself dramatically. For the last couple of minutes she'd  
been running on, quite literally, empty. Anko had woken up in hospital three days later. The anger gave her strength, but it was her most crippling weakness.

Shaking her head Anko distracted herself from these thoughts. It was impractical to waste time thinking on the past. So what if most of the other shinobi avoided her  
like the plague? So what if she hadn't been able to find a sparring partner since then? They were ridiculous, weak minded _fools. _There was a loud smack and Anko  
stood holding her, now red, cheek. Ouch. She flexed her stinging hand, trying to ease the uncomfortable sensation. Painful, but necessary. That way madness lay; Anko  
had had enough experience with Orochimaru to know what was at the end of that dark path. Stretching, Anko got to her feet. Either way, she wasn't strong enough yet.  
So she'd do what everyone did when they had a problem. Complain to the Hokage.

* * *

Anko stood outside the Hokage's door, smirking at the obviously fresh paint. Tsunade had never quite grasped the concept of anger management. After she knocked, loud and obnoxious as usual, there was a crashing sound, as if someone had knocked over a potted plant, and the door flew open. A rather hassled looking Shizune stood in its stead, apparently trying desperately to fill up the entire doorway. Anko blinked at her for a second before a wide, slightly evil, grin cracked her face. "The old lady's been drinking again?"

To Shizune's eternal credit she managed to look affronted by this. "Anko-san! Tsunade-sama recognises the important task that the Hokage plays in all manner of life, whether as a support to the community or as a -- " There was a loud noise from inside the room, that sounded as if someone had smashed a bottle and there was some unintelligible shouting. " – role model..." Shizune trailed off, looking dejected. Anko held back a snigger and put on her poker face. "Well, that's really good of her. I think I saw Konohamaru's team heading over here, so Tsunade can have a chance to be a role-model up close." The kunoichi choked back a laugh as she swept past the frantic Shizune. Konohamaru's team was still trying to catch that damned cat, that stupid animal never stopped running away. But Shizune didn't need to know that just yet.

"Tsunade-sama!" Anko tried to look respectful and obedient as she stood in front of the Great Fifth Hokage, one of the legendary sannin, who looked like she was about to pass out in a drunken stupor. The kunoichi considered excusing herself, there wasn't much point having a rant at someone who was bound to have a serious blackout in about ten minutes. Fortunately, or perhaps not, no one could hold her liquor like Tsunade, something that had earned her Anko's eternal, if sometimes frivolous, respect. The Hokage sat up a little straighter when she saw Anko, a very scary expression on her face. "If this is some petty complaint I'm docking your pay for the next fifty missions you do."

That piqued Anko's interest. "You're allowed to do that?"

"Adaptability training. See how well our shinobi can survive in unexpected and taxing situations. Works every time."

Anko grinned at the Hokage. She knew there was a reason she liked that loud drunkard.

After a moments contemplation, trying to decide whether or not being on the verge of a crazed and frustrated rampage through Konoha was a petty complaint, Anko cleared her throat. "I have a problem, Tsunade-sama." The Hokage in question said nothing, but her eyes narrowed her her hand curled around her sake bottle in a rather threatening manner. Anko just couldn't resist. "Well, you see. There's a problem with the stray cats around my area. They're so noisy, especially at night-"

The kunoichi had to stop there as she ducked to avoid the sake bottle that smashed into the wall behind her. Laughing, Anko held her hands up. "Only joking, Tsunade. Jeez, anyone would think you were menopausal. How old are you now?" The Hokage's gaze darkened and Anko decided to make amends before she was dismembered. "Sorry, Tsunade-sama. I'm hungover."

Tsunade looked at Anko thoughtfully for a while; apparently having forgotten the age dig. "When did you become a compulsive liar, Anko?"

That... took her by surprise. Anko's forehead wrinkled as she thought about this; her expression still slightly taken aback. She debated saying that she didn't know what the lady was talking about, but that would probably just prove her point. "I don't know, Tsunade-sama. I hadn't really thought about it. It just happened, I guess?"

Anko fidgeted under the Hokage's contemplative gaze. That coil of anger squirmed in her stomach and she wanted to shout at the old woman. To tell her to stop _fucking _looking at her before she broke her fucking face. That was probably inappropriate behaviour however and Anko knew that she'd probably wind up hospitalised. Fortunately for both her health and her sanity, Tsunade seemed to sense that Anko wasn't going to come clean on this one and she shifted back to her default mode. Bored and tipsy. "Well, why the hell are you bothering me?"

Anko relaxed slightly. This she could deal with. "I was just wondering when Danzō's super-duper 'let's-make-Anko-even-more-kick-ass' technique was going to kick in properly. At the moment I'm just like me on steroids and I want to know when it's going to make a real difference."

Tsunade sighed. "Anko. That technique doesn't automatically make you 'kick-ass'. It's just like... Oh crap, I can't do those analogy things. Basically, you've been given the power to kick-ass, but you still just don't know how. You need to train. Hard. Possibly harder than you did as a genin."

Anko felt like she was going to throw up.

"Don't give me that face! You're a ninja, suck it up and keep training!" Tsunade's momentary burst of anger faded almost as soon as it arrived. "Anko, you'll be fine. What you're doing at the moment is nearly perfect. Just keep it up."

The Hokage treated Anko to a rare smile. "Now, get the hell out of my office. I've got a team of brats in in two hours and I want to sleep." Anko gave a grimace of a smile in return before she strode out; her expression furious. She didn't even know why she was so angry! In the rational part of her mind Anko had half expected an answer like that, but the irrational part told the other half to piss off.

* * *

"Oy, Sakura!"

The pink haired girl in question whirled around, her expression stony. Anko hid a smirk. Probably just as well she hadn't called her Pinky.

"Oh, Anko-san." Sakura seemed surprised to see her. "Can I help? I haven't seen you in a while."

_Probably because I've been avoiding you like the plague, Pinky. _

Pinky was a painful reminder of... Him. Anko didn't go near his old team. Even after two months it hurt like a bitch to think of him.

"Anko-san?"

"Huh-? Oh, sorry, Pi-" Anko coughed violently to cover up the mistake. "Sakura. Zoned out for a sec."

"Can I ask what you need me for?" Anko's lips twitched. She could tell that the girl really wanted to ask, 'If you need something hurry up and spit it out and if you don't fuck off and stop bothering me.' Girl after her own heart.

"Oh yeah..." This was the tricky part. The kunoichi had been steeling herself for this the entire way here. It was ok to ask for this. As a chuunin Sakura was an equal. Maybe not as experienced, but an _equal. _

Anko's eye twitched. Dammit! A chuunin was not her freaking equal! She'd worked her ass off getting to jounin level and this was what she was reduced to?! She was going to fucking kill Danzō! Anko took a deep breath. "You've got that super strength thing down, right?"

"Yes, Anko-san."

"...Want to give me a few tips?"

* * *

Pinky was so like Tsunade it was freaky. Anko's first thought when she'd seen Sakura at her second shot at the Chuunin Exams was: 'Oh jeez, there's another one." If Pinky ever turned to booze Anko was going missing nin. Pinky herself broke through Anko's thoughts. "Anko-san! I really think you're improving!"

Fortunately for Anko, she did have the mental capacity required to see that that was a lie. "Not true." The kunoichi's jaw was tight with suppressed anger. This was going too slowly. They'd been at it for hours and there'd really been no significant progress. Pinky deflated a bit. "But, Anko-san, the training dummy's head has come off."

A grin slipped past Anko's clenched teeth as she relaxed; for once she felt a bit smug. "That wasn't the chakra." It was with a great deal of satisfaction the kunoichi observed Sakura's shocked expression, though she rolled her eyes when Pinky went into medic mode. It really was a mini-Tsunade.

"Anko-san! You should not be working so hard without chakra aid! It's very bad for your muscles and it can strain them to the point of breaking! The medical staff are under a lot of pressure at the moment and it is the duty of every shinobi to do their best to avoid injury!"

The kunoichi just looked at her blankly. "I need to train, Pi- Sakura. I need to get better."

"Well, you should be using chakra!" Pinky looked furious. "Overextending yourself isn't doing anyone any favours! Why aren't you using chakra?!"

"Because I'm shit at it, Sakura."

Anko watched in amusement as the medic deflated. Even if she was _extremely _annoyed that she wasn't blowing up rocks with her fists, it was nearly worth it to see the chuunin looking so defeated. Stupid chuunins. At least she wasn't being taught by a genin. Genin weren't even _ninja. _Anko would rather have thrown herself off a cliff than ask for help from a genin.

"Anko, maybe you should work on your chakra control first. Once you can do that the technique will be a lot easier to master."

Anko paused. She hadn't even considered that. "That's a reasonable idea. Got any ideas about who'd be free and a good teacher?"

Sakura thought about this for a while. "Well, Hyuuga's are renowned for their chakra control. Do you know any of them?"

"Only Neji and I might have to kill him if he doesn't take that stick out of his arse." Anko said this thoughtfully; ignoring the horrified look that Pinky was giving her. It wasn't Anko's fault he acted like a prat. But a Hyuuga... That was a very interesting idea.

Anko only knew one Hyuuga that wasn't intolerable.

* * *

"A-Anko-san?"

* * *

Anko stood holding a leaf; glowering at the seemingly innocent piece of shrubbery. _Apparently, _a good chakra control exercise was cutting the thing in half. With _chakra. _The kunoichi glared at it in contempt. Would it count as chakra control if she summoned a snake and make it _eat _the fucking leaf? The kunoichi's red eyes drifted sideways as she glanced at the gentlest member of the Hyuuga family. Stupid... _chuunin _was doing some fancy Hyuuga thing and, embarrassingly enough, her leaf was in shreds. And she was pulling that awful peaceful face that Anko had never quite managed to get the hang of. 'I'm-not-currently-about-to-eat-your-offspring' was the closest she could get to peaceful.

"A-Anko-san? Do you want to try again?"

The kunoichi couldn't help the same feeling of victory. She might not be able to make instant green confetti, but at least she could talk properly. Anko have Hinata a half-hearted grin. "Yeah, sure."

At least the girl had the good grace to look sheepish when she saw Anko's perfectly intact leaf. "M-mine was a-a lo-t weaker to s-start with, A-Anko-san."

"Ah."

That blatant lie wasn't even worth a proper answer. Anko appreciated the girl's attempt at making her feel better and it was difficult to be angry with such a shy, sweet person. But _damn. _Hinata's leaf was practically a cactus!

"Oy! Anko! What you doing? And hey Hinata." A man had appeared and he grinned at Anko and winked at the Hyuuga.

The kunoichi groaned. That's just what she didn't need. One of the other jounin seeing her. Getting training sessions from a _chuunin. _Unfortunately the Hyuuga kid didn't seem all that aware of her plight. "A-ah! H-hello Aoba-san. W-we w-were just going o-over training exercises. A-Anko-san w-wanted to get b-better at her chakra control."

Aoba's face lit up. "_Really_? Losing your touch Anko? I saw you with Sakura this morning as well."

That was it.

The bastard was _laughing _at her. _Her. _Anko. _The _Anko. Nobody laughed at Anko and got away with it.

* * *

"Anko. I am very disappointed in you."

"I thought you might be, Tsunade-sama."

Anko tried not to look bored as she stood there. She had been listening to Tsunade shout at her for nearly an hour now and quite frankly it was getting a little tired. However, once the Hokage had stopped throwing stuff Anko found that it was quite easy to ignore her.

"What did I just say, Anko?"

_Shit. _"Uh... I should be ashamed of myself?"

Tsunade looked exhausted. "Just get out of my office. Pay docked for the next fifty missions."

Anko would have complained, but she thought she was probably pushing her luck today. Besides, she needed to get back to the training grounds. She had to practise.

* * *

The training dummy snapped in half.

Anko stood in the wreckage with a huge grin on her face. It had been nearly a month of solid training. Training whenever she had a spare moment, destroying all her potted plants... The effort had been enormous, but at least it had paid off.

Of course, the kunoichi wasn't crazy. She knew that her version of super strength wasn't anywhere near Tsunade's or Sakura's level. She just didn't have the chakra control required; it wasn't in her blood. She wouldn't be breaking down walls any time soon. But the little push, combined with her new found muscular strength... It was a step in the right direction and she could break someone's jaw with ease now. It might come in handy.

In a matter of moments Anko was getting the training itches again. She still wasn't good enough! So what if she could hit a little harder than before? In a real fight that would make the smallest of differences and in reality she didn't have large enough chakra reserves to be using it nonstop in a battle which was the only way it would really help. With a sigh the kunoichi sat down to think.

What she really needed was new techniques. Anko's face was set deep in thought. Techniques that were previously beyond her potential were now an option, but that didn't mean that they'd be quick or easy to learn. But she didn't have a choice, did she? Not really.

The kunoichi was pulled out of her thoughts when someone chucked a biscuit at her. "What is my dear reckless Anko thinking so hard about? I've never seen this happen before."

Anko grinned and ate the biscuit before swivelling around. "_Darling _Yamato. I was just thinking about how I was going to take over the world."

It was an old joke between the two and Yamato laughed and whacked her lightly over the head. "You've got a one track mind dearest. Still training up your complete lack of super strength skills?"

Anko glared at him before pointing, rather smugly, at the ex-dummy. "Super strength. Level completed."

The kunoichi enjoyed the surprised look on Yamato's face; his eyebrows shot up and his eyes widened slightly. "You seem astonished, _Darling._"

The jounin recovered well and he smiled down at her before ruffling her hair. "Just impressed, _dearest. _Since training's going so well; you want to go out tonight? You've been training all month."

"Can't. I need to start working on something new as soon as possible."

Yamato seemed to contemplate this, a slight frown creasing his forehead, before he said slowly. "Alright, whatever you want. How's Aoba doing?"

Anko groaned. "Oh, silence peasant. I got a long enough lecture from Tsunade as it was."

Yamato frowned. "And so you should have done. Hospitalising one of of your own village's shinobi is generally frowned upon, Anko. We need every shinobi we've got."

"What part of 'I got a long enough lecture' did you not understand?" Anko gave him a baleful glare, her jaw clenching and fortunately Yamato seemed to get the hint. He laughed and sat down next to her. "He was an annoying bastard anyway."

Anko laughed; her brief anger forgotten. "I know, seriously. That guy deserved way worse."

Yamato glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Anko, one of his lungs collapsed."

"He could be dead."

* * *

"Tsunade-sama. I'm worried about Anko."

The Hokage sighed. "So am I Yamato. Don't worry; you aren't the only one who's noticed the change. I'm ready to kill Danzō. You noticed anything else apart from the compulsive lying, obsessive training, irrational fits of rage, ect?"

Yamato sighed. "She just doesn't seem to care about people any more. She was always a little violent, but she never went out of her way to hurt people and she was always sorry afterwards. This isn't like her at all. You think Danzō's technique is responsible?"

"What else could it be?" Tsunade gave a small growl of irritation and banged her fist on the desk. The wood splintered. "I wish I could go back and make sure this never happened."

Yamato laughed. "She'd probably had done it anyway. Her stubbornness isn't new."

Tsunade gave him a small smile before a frown crossed her features again. "Well, it's too late to undo now. For the time being anyway. Similar experiments are being carried out on death row criminals and we'll see if the effects can be reversed."

Yamato blinked; his expression slightly taken aback. "I was under the impression that you disapproved of such methods, Tsunade-sama."

"It's true. I don't like it. But I'm prepared to sacrifice a few murdering, raping monsters for Anko. She's a good person."

Yamato gave a slow smile. "She's the best."

Tsunade laughed for a moment before she turned serious again. "I have one more question, Yamato. Why is she pushing herself so hard? What is she trying to achieve."

The jounin winced. "I didn't want to risk asking. She'd probably hospitalise me if I pushed it. But... I know Anko. I think she's doing it because of Kakashi. Anko's never handled loved ones dying very well. I think that she just feels that if she can best him... his death would become more rational somehow."

Tsunade frowned. "I don't understand how that works."

"I doubt even Anko understands how that works."

* * *

Anko was getting desperate. She had to master as many techniques as possible in one lifetime! She had to become the _best_ in one lifetime. She had too. How would she even know who was best? She wasn't sure, but when she found out she would defeat them. She would do anything to be the best. There was just the small problem that she didn't even know where to start!

Anko sat on a bench and she glared jealously at a group of Hyuugas proceeding regally down the street. She didn't want to be a part of that family; with their stuffy rules and customs and the rather barbaric branding of the branch family. No. That would not be the life for Anko. But they _lucky _bastards. The unfairness of the advantage the shinobi clans had was enough to make Anko see red. She was just glad that there were none of those damn Uchihas left. Well, of the two out there they were probably going to kill each other. The kunoichi tried to comfort herself. None of the Sannin got a bloodline limit; though Orochimaru was creepily good with snakes. Anko ignored the hypocrisy of that thought. Only one of the Hokage's had a special talent; Yamato's 'father', though it was less of a bloodline thing and more of a freak mutation.

She was going to work so hard; learn a technique so incredible that the Shinobi Clans would realise that you didn't need some creepy eyes... or cockroaches living in your head or something. She'd become so incredible, become such a help to Konoha that his death wouldn't have been in vain. He would have motivated her to get off her lazy ass and _work. _And she'd repay him by saving his village. It would have been a tragic, _tragic _loss, but not in vain. Not quite in vain.

However, she was going to have to learn a goddamn technique first. And then she'd have to learn another one after that. And another. And another. As Anko pondered her dilemma she slowly realised that she simply wasn't inventive enough to think of that many new jutsu to learn and the ones that she could teach herself simply weren't good enough. She was going to need a teacher. Someone who churned out some of the strongest shinobi in the village... Someone who could make her the best. Whether she liked them or not was of no importance. She could always kill them later.

_

* * *

  
_

"Welcome Anko. I've been expecting you."

"Danzō."

* * *

A/N: Well! Chapter 2 is all finished! 3 I really hope you enjoyed it and to the people who added my story get virtual brownies. Though it would be awesome if you reviewed. T-T I really don't want to start demanding them, but you know. Maybe three more reviews? Please? ;A; They really inspire me to write more!

xxx

Pi


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